There are problems at the Walt Disney Company. The world’s largest and most profitable entertainment giant is receiving political and financial heat for trying to appeal to a more “woke” audience.
It would be unfair to pin Disney’s woes entirely on the company’s stances on gender equality and the “special” government status dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).
Disney is in hot water, and the company got there the hard way: via arrogance and ineptitude.
During the Fourth of July, the average wait time at the Magic Kingdom was 27 minutes, down from 31 minutes in 2022 and 47 minutes in 2019.
It’s troubling to think about how much harm may have been done to the Disney name in recent years. Losses in the tens of millions of dollars were incurred by “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Elemental.” And probably the most significant and most unexpected bomb of them all is the fifth “Indiana Jones” film, which is expected to earn only $248 million worldwide. That doesn’t even come close to covering the $300 million price tag or the $150 million in advertising expenses.
A.J. Wolfe, who runs the Disney-centric website Disney Food Blog, speculates that the parks’ slower phase might last well into the fall. Aside from a reimagining of the Splash Mountain rollercoaster in Florida and California, Disney does not have any significant new attractions arriving anytime soon in the United States.
Disney’s Paris and Hong Kong resorts are constructing “Frozen”-themed attractions, while Disney’s Shanghai theme park will shortly debut a “Zootopia”-themed attraction.
Many American households now view Disney as an enemy of their morals. And they’re letting the corporation know this by avoiding their venues and skipping the “family films” that have been the cornerstone of the brand for a century.
In October, Disneyland raised the price of its multi-day tickets by at least 9 percent, from $255 per adult to $285.
Some annual pass holders can save as much as 40 percent on hotel rooms at select Disney World resorts on select days in December near Christmas, which is typically one of the busiest and most expensive times to visit Main Street, U.S.A.
This does nothing to restore Disney’s tarnished reputation. Disney has created its difficulties, and until it can perform a U-turn and return to its core values, it won’t be able to solve them any time soon.
